


What The Water Gave Me

by jessaverant



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Drowning, F/F, Human Peridot x Gem Lapis, Prompt: Drowning, Sad Ending, angst week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 08:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13678116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessaverant/pseuds/jessaverant
Summary: Lapis takes her new human friend out for a ride over the oceans surrounding Beach City.It doesn't go as planned.





	What The Water Gave Me

“ _Are… you sure it’ll be okay?”_

_“Yes, I promise – you’ll be perfectly fine. Don’t you trust me?”_

\---

Lapis wanted to take Peridot flying. It was something so _simple_ to her, so mundane and ordinary, but it was so novel to Peridot. Peridot, little Peridot, Steven’s cute human friend from the computer store. In her thousands of years spent on earth, she couldn’t believe she’d only now just met two humans she could tolerate.

“Okay, get on my back,” Lapis instructed as she knelt in the sand on the beach. They were standing several yards from the beach house, Peridot wringing her hands in concern.

“I’m not too heavy?” Peridot asked, and Lapis chuckled.

“Of course not, you can’t possibly be heavier than Steven,” she said, tossing a grin over her shoulder. Peridot sighed, coming up and stopping just before where Lapis was kneeling.

“And I won’t hurt your… gem?”

“Nope,” Lapis responded. “You can lean right on it.” Peridot glanced around the beach, and then carefully climbed onto Lapis’s back. She leaned down, chest pressed against Lapis’s gem, and Lapis giggled at how _warm_ Peridot was. Warmer than Steven, it felt like. “Now wrap your arms around my neck,” Lapis instructed, and Peridot did so, nearly burying her face into Lapis’s bright blue hair. “Ready?”

“I think so,” Peridot mumbled. She was trying her hardest to hide the fact that she was blushing from the contact, and when Lapis finally noticed, she smiled to herself.

_Oh, my stars,_ she thought, _if only I knew how adorable humans were before now. Maybe I would have even joined the rebellion…_

“Eeek!” Peridot’s screech tore Lapis from her thoughts. She had gotten to her feet, and now Peridot was completely off the ground. Lapis giggled again and relished in the contact Peridot offered as she tightened her grip. With a grunt, Lapis unfurled her wings and took off, soaring over the turquoise waves lapping at the sand.

“Ohmygosh,” Lapis heard Peridot stammer into her ear. “I can’t look!”

“C’mon!” Lapis encouraged, slowing her pace as they went. She instead rose, not too high but just high enough to see over the temple and into Beach City. “Take a look! I’ve got you. Trust me?”

“Okay. Yes. I trust you,” Peridot responded, and she opened her eyes. Her hair was whipping around her face and she was looking down through a mane of blue, but the sight was one to behold. She couldn’t stop the awed gasp that escaped her lips, and she leaned back from Lapis just a bit, taking in everything below her.

The setting sun cast golden rays over the temple, it’s shadow looming over the town. The water below them had transformed into a shimmering field, waving up at them from afar.

“Wow,” Peridot breathed, and Lapis felt a burst of pride flow through her. Peridot had been skeptical of all the ‘magical nonsense’ since they first met, but the more time they spent together, the more Peridot began to understand the power and beauty of gems.

“Now, let’s go out over the ocean,” Lapis suggested, and Peridot tightened her grip around Lapis once more. Lapis tucked her arms under Peridot and sped off, flying low over the sea. They were so close to the water that salty spray leapt from the surface and showered over them both. Peridot was thankful for her glasses, for once.

“The oceans are earth’s one saving grace,” Lapis said as they flew. “There’s so much water on this planet!”

“That’s kind of our thing,” Peridot said back into Lapis’s ear. “Seventy percent of the planet is covered in it.” Lapis looked straight ahead, eyes on the horizon where the sea met the sky. _The earth. I was trapped here for thousands of years._ A planet where she _should_ have been at her most powerful, and she had been powerless. Her thoughts fluttered over the other Lapis Lazulis, how easily they had carved out the canyons of the Kindergartens, and how _simple_ it would have been to squash out the rebellion if they’d been there at the start.

_But would we have?_ she wondered, eyes trailing down. She wasn’t sure. When she arrived on earth, she hadn’t known much, if anything about the rebellion, but if she had been asked, would she have tried to stop them? _Would she have joined instead?_ What a different story that would have told. Instead of low caste-gems staging an uprising, a high-caste gem joining by choice? Her eyes focused on the water below her. She couldn’t see her reflection, but she saw her shadow.  _If she had escaped from the mirror, would she have joined the rebellion?_ A shiver ran through her.

_I probably would have just left earth behind completely._ Something knotted within her, and she brought a hand to her chest, still staring down at the water. It seemed darker, deeper than just a few minutes ago. _It looks just like the mirror…_

She never heard a yell. It was the sudden weight change and the _splash!_ behind her that jerked her back to reality. She pitched forwards and flipped over mid-air from her new levity, and came to a stop right above the surface.

_Oh, no._

“Peridot?” Lapis called into the evening air. She saw ripples a few feet away and flew over, hovering on the surface. They were far from land now; Beach City was small bump on the horizon. All she saw was dark water, and Peridot was nowhere to be seen. “Peridot?!” The ripples smoothed out, and the water went serene once more. There were a few small waves but no huge swells. Shouldn’t that mean it’d be even easier to find Peridot?

_Humans can swim,_ Lapis thought to herself. They also needed air, and she knew there wasn’t any under – were they able to breathe water? The animals in the ocean seemed fine.

“No, I think that’s wrong,” Lapis murmured to herself. _Why are humans so confusing?_ “Peridot! Can you hear me? Where are you?”

As if on cue, something rapidly rose to the surface. It popped over the top and floated, a bright star in the sky of the sea; a small white shoe. It was floating several feet from where she was hovering.

“Peridot,” Lapis muttered. She arced up and dove in head-first, right next to where the shoe was floating. A school of small silver fish scattered as she swam past them, kicking furiously. Down, down, down she swam, the light getting dimmer, the water getting murkier. She turned and looked up towards the surface and was shocked to see only a small white line and some scattered pockets of light signifying the surface. She hadn’t even gone that far!

“Peridot!” she called, but still she received no response. She pumped her arms forwards and finally, _finally_ saw a blonde head of hair just out of her reach. “Peridot!”

Peridot was floating, her arms above her head, glasses gone, only one shoe remaining on her foot. Her clothes floated eerily around her and small bubbles were trailing from her blue lips. Lapis paused for a moment, simply staring. _She looks so pretty like this…_ She shook her head and reached out, grabbing Peridot by the waist. She then kicked her way back to the surface, which was much farther away than she realized. As she broke through, she was momentarily blinded by the burning light of the dying sun, oranges and pinks and purples streaking through the sky. She hooked her arms under Peridot’s and lifted them both from the ocean, swinging Peridot up onto her back.

“Okay, Peridot, just hold on and we’ll get back to shore!” Lapis called. There was no response from the still figure on her back. “Peridot?” Lapis attempted to straighten out and gasped in alarm as Peridot fell lifelessly from her back once more. She flipped and caught the girl in her arms, one arm under her back, the other under her legs. Peridot sagged against her, wet hair sticking to her face. It was then Lapis noticed how cold Peridot felt in her arms; the heat that radiated from her just a few minutes ago seemed to have vanished from her limbs.

“Hey, Peridot? Can you… say something?” Lapis asked in a soft voice. “Are you… sleeping?” Peridot, again, said nothing.

Something was wrong.

With a mighty flap of her wings, Lapis soared upwards, beating through a few wispy, low-hanging clouds. She finally pinpointed the beach, and took off, flying faster than she had been before. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she _knew_ something was wrong with Peridot, and getting back to the beach house was her only way of fixing it.

“We’ll be back really soon, Peridot, I promise,” Lapis said above the din of rushing air. Peridot’s head lolled against her arm, hanging heavy and lifeless. It was unnerving and Lapis didn’t like it _at all._ A deep sense of dread began growing within her, trickling down her legs and up her arms and chilling her to the core. Humans were lively and warm and _this_ human was always talking about one thing or another, always moving her hands and legs and running her fingers through her hair. _She shouldn’t be still like this._ A lump formed in her throat and tears pinpricked her eyes. _This isn’t right. No, no, no…_

By the time the beach came into view, fat tears were sliding down Lapis’s cheeks at an alarming rate. She had curled Peridot’s head into her chest, cradling her as if she would break. She gave one last burst of speed as she headed for the beach, breaking into a run as she landed.

“STEVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!” she screamed, tears blinding her as she ran. She was on her way up the stairs to the beach house when the door was flung open, lights pouring from the windows.

“Lapis?” he called in surprise. “Is that you?”

“STEVEN!” Lapis cried, and Steven backed up to allow her into the house. Connie was standing at the kitchen counter, watching with wide eyes. Once in the house, Lapis fell to her knees, still holding Peridot.

“St-Steven,” she gasped, “something is wrong with Peridot! _”_ Steven slammed the door shut and fell to the floor beside Lapis, Connie running over to join them. “Sh-she won’t say anything!”

“Lay her down,” Connie instructed, brow furrowed in determination. “Lapis!” Lapis trembled but complied, laying Peridot’s head down with the utmost of care. Tears streamed down her cheeks in silence, landing on Peridot’s face with tiny splashes.

“Why is she all wet?” Steven asked, kneeling beside Lapis, hand on her shoulder. “Lapis, what _happened?_ ”

“She fell,” Lapis offered, watching as Connie held Peridot’s wrist. “She fell into the ocean. I-I didn’t mean to drop her, and she sank so quickly down—“

“How long was she under water?” Connie interrupted, laying Peridot’s wrist down. She leaned over and placed her ear against Peridot’s chest, her eyes widening in increased alarm.

“I don’t know! A few minutes, at most!” Lapis exclaimed, hands balled into fists. “Not that long!”

“That’s all it takes,” Connie said, and Lapis noticed her lower lip was trembling. “She’s not breathing, Lapis. She has no pulse.”

“What does that _mean?_ ” Lapis yelled. “I don’t _understand!”_

“Lapis, you _have_ to calm down,” Steven said, although his voice wavered as he spoke. Lapis turned to Steven, grabbing him by the shoulders.

“You can heal her, right?” Lapis pleaded. Steven closed his mouth and swallowed. “Right? You healed my cracked gem!”

“I—“

“Steven! _Please!”_ Lapis begged, shoulders trembling.

“I’m gonna try CPR,” Connie announced, and she tucked her hand under Peridot’s chin to tilt her head back. “I don’t know if it’ll do any good, but I gotta try. Steven, call 9-1-1. Now!”

“Lapis,” Steven said, biting his lower lip. He matched her tears with some of his own, sniffing. “I can’t h-heal anymore, Lapis. My powers, they’re g-gone.”

“What? What do you mean _gone?_ ” Lapis asked, still hanging onto Steven like a lifeline.

“I don’t know!” Steven shouted, before covering his mouth with his hands in surprise. Lapis released him and fell back, hands on her cheeks. They both turned to watch as Connie pressed down on Peridot’s chest over and over, gritting her teeth in frustration as she went.

“Fifty-six, fifty-seven—Steven, call 9-1-1!” Connie instructed, and Steven ran to grab his phone. Lapis slid her hands over her mouth and watched as Connie started throwing her full weight into the compressions, counting under her breath as she went. Steven was across the room on the couch, speaking into the phone.

“—I don’t know how long it’s been, not that long—yes, on the beach, around the cliff face—”

“Ah!” Connie cried as a sharp _crack!_ met their ears. “I think I broke a rib. Oh, no…” She leaned down and pressed her ear to Peridot’s chest again, and then leaned Peridot’s head back once more. She pinched her nose and lowered her mouth to hers, breathing into her. Lapis watched, unable to look away. That deep, unsettled feeling of dread was now in every atom of her form, turning her black and raw from the inside out.

_No, no, no, this can’t be happening._ Connie took a deep breath and started pushing down on Peridot’s chest once more, sweat rolling down her face. A single tear snaked out of Connie’s left eye and fell onto Peridot’s face, which was so pale it was nearly white. Her lips were a pale blue, slightly parted. Her eyes were closed, long lashes dark and lovely against the curve of her cheek.

When they first met, Lapis had kept Peridot awake all through the night, talking about everything and anything they could think of. The connection had been so immediate and familiar, Lapis couldn’t help herself. She watched as Peridot began to make less and less sense as she fell into a deep sleep, and Lapis had laid beside her as she slept the next several hours. She was so _different_ in sleep, without the frenetic energy that fueled her. Her nose whistled slightly as she slept, her lips parted when she took deep breaths. Her unconscious presence was so reassuring and calming and Lapis refused to move until she woke several hours later, disheveled and convinced she had dreamt the entire previous day. Lapis was _certain_ that evening was when she had fallen in love.

This was different. _Very_ different.

“Come—on—Peridot!” Connie gasped as she fell back onto her haunches, panting in exhaustion. Peridot remained still, the only change being the thin trail of blood that was now running down her chin from her lips. Connie scooted back and away from Peridot, still panting, arms shaking.

“You tr-tried, Connie,” Steven said gently. “Y-you did your best.” He walked over and knelt beside Peridot’s head, licked his palm, and placed it on her chest. Lapis clasped her hands together at her chest, waiting.

Nothing happened.

Steven pulled his hand away and put his hands to his chest, shaking all over. Connie crawled over to him and put her arm around him, pulling their heads together.

“Lapis,” Steven said, looking up at the Gem. “Lapis, I-I’m sorry.” Lapis snapped her head up, eyes bright with anger and sorrow.

“What?” she said, eyes flicking from one to the other.

“She’s… she’s _gone,_ ” Steven continued, and at the admission, his tears turned into gasping sobs. He buried his face in Connie’s shoulder, and she buried hers in his hair. Lapis looked back down at Peridot’s prone form and leaned over her.

“Peridot?” she whispered, shaking her head. Tears landed on her still-wet clothes, adding to the salt water already there. “P-Peridot?” She reached out a trembling hand and touched her cheek. Wet and cold. _Just like the wretched sea on this wretched planet._ Lapis scrunched herself into a ball and laid her head down on Peridot’s stomach, allowing a choked, gasping sob to escape her lips. She remained there and cried, and cried, _and cried,_ crying more than her five thousand years in the mirror combined.

\---

_“… I trust you, Lapis Lazuli. I’d trust you with my life.”_

**Author's Note:**

> I was listening to "What The Water Gave Me" by Florence + the Machine while writing this. I was super sad 'drowning' wasn't voted in so free day prompt it is. 
> 
> This is an AU where everything is the same except Peridot is Steven's dorky human friend that Lapis takes a liking to. I liked the idea of Lapis treating Peridot kind of like how Rose treated Greg at first - humans are kinda funny little things that are more pet-like, but still lovable.


End file.
